If My Heart Stops Beating
by nevershoutnever34
Summary: There's something you don't know about this world,something only spoken about in hushed rooms and dark alleys. The underworld, a place for blood sucking demons to thrive. Vampires. This is the story of Bella, a girl as innocent as either you or I.
1. Chapter 1

I dont own any of theese chacters i is just the start this is my first story so please be nice but help me if ive

done something worng

* * *

If My Heart Stops Beating

prolodge

There's something you don't know about this world,something only spoken about in hushed rooms and dark alleys. The underworld, a place for blood sucking demons to thrive. Vampires. This is the story of Bella, a girl as innocent as either you or I.  
But a strange mark given to her as a child happened to just be her one-way ticket to the ominous and forsaken Underworld itself.

Chapter One: Just the beginning

I was playing in the backyard, ripping the grass out by it s roots, tearing it from the only thing it had ever known. I would flick it away, watch it scatter across the lawn, then tear out some more. This was the most amusement I could get while my mother stood inside the kitchen, conversing over the phone with someone that she knew, I wasn t quite certain who.

While pulling out some more grass, I found something. I picked it up. In the palm of my small hand was a small,  
gold, and shiny band. In all my three years, this had to be the most fascinating thing I had ever come upon.  
I looked at it carefully, reading the small, delicate, beautifully written script on it.  
If your heart could beat once, it can beat again for love.

I had no clue what it meant, but it intrigued me so.  
I couldn t read yet, so I was determined, one way or another,  
to have this mystery solved. I stood up, not bothering to brush the grass off of my bottom, and looked in the direction of the kitchen window, to see my mother pacing around, phone still at her ear. I guess I would have to wait to find out what those words were.

\  
In the meantime, I inspected the ring some more. I studied the perfect circle, the way the moonlight shone made it a brighter gold, but also tinted it with silver.  
I had seen golden objects in the moonlight before, but nothing ever resembled this. It was like the reflection of the moon in the most, clear, crisp, and beautiful lake. I also noticed that it had a bit of a glow, like an aura. I closed my hand around the band,  
then gasped and opened it again, the ring was so cold that it burned a bit, like I was holding snow in my hand for too long.  
So that s where my ring went. My head snapped up, and I made a small gasping noise, shocked by the sudden unfamiliar voice.

The voice had emerged from a tall, dark and mysterious man,  
towering over me. A smile graced his lips. The man had raven colored, shaggy, but tidy hair. He had striking features.  
His green eyes pierced right through me. He wore clothes that were strange and silly to me. It was a dark beige suit,  
and a lighter colored bowler hat that matched. The collar of his jacket was some sort of animal fur trim.  
Did I frighten you? his voice was rough and deep, but euphoric.  
No, but you did surpriseded me. I said.  
He let out a quiet laugh, Where did a little girl, such as yourself, find my ring? I have been looking everywhere for it. Right there. I pointed to the grass in front of me.  
Hm, he bent down on one knee, then looked at the ground, You found it here? he asked.  
I nodded vigorously.  
I see. Well may I have it back? Okay. It hurts anyways. I said, stretching out my hand.  
It hurts? he asked curiously.  
Yeah. I helded it and it got real cold and then it burned. He stared down a my palm for a moment, eyes fixed on the ring, then he looked up and met my eyes.  
You say the ring burned your hand? Yeah. Where? Right here. I pointed to the middle of my palm.  
He took the ring, then pulled something out of his pocket.

In his right hand, he held a pocket knife. The blade was a shiny silver,  
the light bounced off of it the same way it had the ring, only not quite as beautifully.  
The handle of it was a type of wood, but not just any wood. This wood was a pure, crimson red. There was a name carved into the would, but as I mentioned, I can t read, so I didn t know what the name was.

He gently grabbed me by the wrist, and pulled my hand forward. I noticed that the skin on his hands was cold and rough,  
nothing like my mother s soft and warm hands. He examined my hand for a minute, then took the blade and lightly pressed it to my skin. He then pressed it harder, and dragged it along my palm. The blood began to seep from my hand, but I didn t cry, or yell, or anything. I just stared at it. While I did, he took the ring and placed it in my hand again,  
then closed my hand around it. I felt that burning once again, only stronger this time. I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the burning to stop. It didn t.

The man opened up my hand and took out the ring. As soon as the ring was gone, the burning sensation stopped,  
but of course the wound on my hand still hurt. I caught sight of the ring in his hand, covered in my blood,  
covering most of the beautiful gold.  
What s your name? he asked.  
Bella. Well, Bella, it was a pleasure meeting you. He smiled.  
He lifted my hand up to his face and kissed the still bleeding wound.

He stood himself up again and licked his lips clean of my blood. He brushed himself off a bit, then slipped the ring onto his finger. The blood was still on it, but he didn t seem to be bothered by it.  
Maybe I ll see you again soon. He flashed me a smile, and started to walk away.  
Wait! I called out.  
He span himself around gracefully.  
Yes? What are those words on the ring? The pretty ones. I asked.  
He smiled again, If your heart could beat once, it can beat again for love. Then he walked away,  
disappearing into the darkness.

For the next little while, I sat there, staring at the place where he had vanished into the shadows.  
A million questions were racing through my head, tugging feverishly at my curiosity. Who was he?  
Why was his ring in my garden? Why did he cut me? When will I see him again?  
Bella. Bella! I didn t answer my mother, who continued to call my name and walk towards me.  
Bella, why won t you- she gasped, Bella! What happened to your hand? At the mention of my hand, I looked down. It was covered in crimson blood, just as the ring had been, only more so.

My mother picked me up off the ground, and quickly walked into the house with me. I couldn t stop staring at where the man had disappeared.

Would he ever come back?

* * *

I rushed out of the front doors of the high school, as soon as the bell rang. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. I was a freshman, I was only fourteen, I never did anything to anyone, I didn t deserve this. They re vicious, all of them. Everyone else in there, they laugh at me, they pick on me, they make their snide remarks and awful jokes. Words, names, things I never expected to hear people say about me or call me.

She s crazy, they would say. She s a freak. , She doesn t belong here. , Why is she still alive? , She s such a stupid fag, why can t she just be normal?

I heard all of those remarks, every single day. I was an outcast. Nobody wanted to eat lunch with freak girl,  
nobody wanted to hang out with the biggest loser in school, nobody wanted to come near me.

I slid down the rough, burgundy brick wall. I closed my eyes tightly, I wasn t going to cry.  
I couldn t show weakness. I wasn t going to cry. I couldn t cry. I didn t even cry when I was a little girl,  
and that strange man had cut my hand. There was a big pink scar across my palm, on certain occasions the burning would return. A few times a day probably.

I hadn t seen that man since he had come to my yard, eleven years ago. I never found out what he wanted,  
why he did what he did. He was my biggest mystery, ever since I had found out what the words on his ring were. Back then, I had no clue what they meant. Every day they became more and more clearer, but never clear enough.

I exhaled the fall air. It was my favorite season. This season had Halloween, a night of mythical creatures,  
a night where you could be whatever you wanted, a night of mystery. It always reminded me of him. He was mysterious, he came in the fall, the only thing missing was that he wasn t a mythical creature. Or well.. at least not that I knew of.

It was horrible out. Dark clouds, blocking every ounce of sunlight, a storm waiting to be born. I could tell it was going to be bad. I turned my head and looked at my surroundings. Suddenly something caught my eye. I looked over at a dark, shaded corner. There stood a man in a dark beige suit, matching bowler hat, dark hair and a fur trim around his collar. There was a familiarity about this man that I couldn t place. It was at the tip of my tongue, but who..

Then it hit me.

It was that man, from all those years ago. What was he doing here? Why was he at my school? This was not a good time for him to show up. He stared at me, arms folded across his chest,  
and he didn t have an absolute emotion on his face. He wasn t smiling, and he wasn t frowning. He didn t look angry, he didn t look upset. He was just.. content.

I heard heels, clicking off the ground, and switched my gaze to my left, where two of the school s most popular juniors were coming towards me. The thing I hated the most was that they weren t only walking towards me, they were also whispering and looking at me. I knew what was coming.  
Hey look, the freak show came to town, and they re right outside the school too. One of them cackled.  
Ooh, looks like vampire girl needs even more time alone. Why don t you go do something with your life and suck someone s blood! the other chimed in.

The first who had commented was a blond girl. She had hazel eyes, she had the looks every girl wished they had. Her face wasn t very descriptive, it was just.. perfect. And she was born like it. I think her name was Lauren. She was a cheerleader and a bitch. I m not being biased, she was actually a bitch to almost everyone, and dated every good looking guy that ever graced our school.

The other was a brunette with eyes like ice. Not only was she pretty, not as pretty as Lauren I might add, but she had the body every girl wanted. She had the curves, the breasts, the legs. She too was a cheerleader,  
and ex-soccer player. Her name was Jessica, and she was very much like Lauren. The only difference was that,  
instead of dating all the gorgeous boys, she slept with pretty much every guy. Not just the attractive ones,  
but all types. Jocks, nerds, goths, pretty boys, you name it. Although, the goths were probably the least likely to sleep with her, and she was least likely to sleep with them. I think she just liked them because of the chains and piercings and all sorts of torture weapons and such that she could use to make things kinkier .

I wasn t in the mood to be made fun of, especially not in front of the man I had been waiting to see for eleven years.  
Jessica, I bet she s going to cry. She is such a baby. We should really teach her to toughen up. Jessica smirked.  
And how do you suggest that, Lauren? Lauren got the same look on her face.  
Well we ve done plenty to break her self-confidence, why don t we just break her? Genius.

They dropped everything and strode over to me. Shit, how am I going to get out of this one? I sat there, only slightly frightened of being beaten. I d gotten hit by my peers lots of times before, but these two had some odd, unknown hate towards me, and high heels that were several inches high.  
Lauren grabbed my books and threw them away from me. Being as stupid as I was, I reached out to grab them.  
As I did so, Lauren kicked me in the stomach. I fell over, holding my stomach for dear life. I saw the amusement on their faces, knowing they had only just begun. Jessica reached down and grabbed my by the hair, standing me up.  
As much as I wanted to kick her where it would hurt the most, I knew there was no point, they would just get the football players to finish me off.

Lauren grabbed me, then threw me against the brick wall.  
Poor little vampire girl, she looks like she s about to cry. She said, faking sympathy.  
Aw, lets finish the job then, shall we? Ariel responded.  
I m all for it.

Lauren pushed me over to Jessica, and Jessica pushed me onto the ground. Unfortunately for me, I landed on a big, hard rock. That s going to be a bruise on my side tomorrow. They both started to kick me, Lauren at my head, Jessica at my back. I just laid there, taking every bit of pain. If I didn t cry they would either leave me alone or never go away. I was hoping it would be the first one.  
Jessica, why won t she cry? Stupid bitch! Lauren kicked me harshly in the head. The pain shot right through my head,  
making me just want to grab Lauren s leg and twist her ankles until they broke.  
I don t know, she is a freak, Shy. Maybe we should just leave and finish her off on Monday. Jessica kicked me just as harshly as Lauren, and I felt as though my spine would have cracked.  
Whatever. Lets just hope she doesn t kill herself over the weekend or else we won t have anymore amusement.

I heard their heels returning to the sidewalk, and then faintly disappearing along with their retched laughter. I laid, holding onto my stomach and head, breathing heavily. At least I didn t cry. What disappoints me is the fact that I came so close to it though.

Slowly, I propped myself up with my arms, and then carefully lifted myself off the ground. I picked up my scattered books and papers. Why does everyone have to do this to me? Why must I be the one to be picked on and bullied and whatnot?  
I hate this. I hate my life.

Remembering the man, I looked up at the corner where I remembered he had been standing. He was still there. The only thing different about him were his features. His face was now contorted into a look of pity. Why did he have to see me get beaten up? It s not the most flattering thing that can happen to a person. It s rather embarrassing,  
even though everyone knows it happens.

I looked down to see my fist clenched. It was only then that I realized I had been doing it all along because my scar was burning. I clenched my fist even tighter.

I began to walk away from the school, heading towards my house. I didn t want to see him anymore.  
I was humiliated, and I didn t want to talk about it. I didn t even know if he would mention it or not. Let alone talk to me. I just didn t want to talk to him or anyone else.

Maybe my parents moving us to Ohio tomorrow isn t such a bad thing after all

* * *

You lost her? Carslie bellowed.  
Yes. Edward sighed.  
How could you lose her? I don t know! It was an accident! I had no clue that her parents intended on moving her! Edward, you are an idiot. How could you not have known? I m sorry Master Cullen, I m not a complete stalker. Carslie, you know you may refer to me by my first name, you are my right hand man after all, which is exactly why I m so upset. You re my friend Edward.  
Just because my heart doesn t beat anymore, that doesn t mean I can t have feelings now. I care about my friends. I know, I know. I m just frustrated. I don t know where she is anymore and I may never find her again. You did leave that mark on her, correct? Years ago, you know that. Well maybe there is still hope. She ll show up eventually, she has to. I suppose.. She may return, although from the look of the scene that played out in front of me a few days ago, it isn t looking very likely. And what scene was this? Carslie intrigued with interest.  
I saw a couple of girls, most likely older, bullying her. Beating her. Mocking her. Trying to make her cry, trying to break her, both physically and emotionally. When she looked at me afterward, all I could see in her eyes was humiliation. I don t know if she recognized me, but by the way she looked at me after several minutes, my guess is that she knew. Well then, Edward it seems as though either, she is completely unaccepted by her peers, not a people person, and a very lonesome girl, or you brought some horrible curse upon her by marking her, because she s stuck with one of the most hideous things on earth on her mind constantly. Carslie smirked.  
You re so hilarious Edward. She s not accepted. I overheard them. They called her a freak and vampire girl. How do they know? Carslie furrowed his eyebrows.  
That s the thing. They don t, I don t think she knows either. Edward said.  
Carslie had a look of thought and concentration on his face, as if he were trying to put this whole puzzle together mentally.  
Master Cullen! We found an interloper. They say they were sent by the hunters. They also claim to barely know the hunters. A man in the doorway spoke.  
Bring them in. Edward, we ll continue this conversation later. In the mean time find something to busy yourself. Eat, torture mundanes, go for a walk, think about um.. that girl- Bella. Edward spoke firmly.  
Ah yes, Bella. Find ways to bring her back. I ll be dealing with this bastard for the next few hours. As you wish, Master Cullen. Edward bowed.  
What did I tell you about calling me that? I m not terribly sure, I wasn t listening. He smirked.

Edward walked along the cold, windy streets of Chicago. He walked somewhat in the shadows, not wanting to be seen by any humans. His hands were in his pockets, a habit he had picked up from this generation s humans, and he stared at his feet. He didn t know how she could have slipped through his fingers so easily, how she could have gotten away without him knowing until after it happened. Why was he so stupid? He would never find her now, she would never come back to a place where she was bullied so horribly by everyone around her.

He opened the second story window from the outside, and climbed into the bedroom. It resembled nothing of a bedroom now. The walls were stripped bare of their posters and pictures. The room emptied of all it s furniture. The lights off, with nothing but the light of the moon to illuminate the room. The room looked almost as if it were naked. It looked nothing like it did when Bella occupied it.  
Edward leaned against the wall, heaving a sigh. Even though he didn t have to breathe anymore, it just seemed like the appropriate thing to do at a time like this. He breathed in the air. Her scent still carried throughout the room.  
It was like.. vanilla and lavender. She smelled amazing, even though she wore no type of perfume or hairspray. Mike knew this scent well.  
Not that he had any physical contact with her in the past eleven years, but he spent a lot of time around her house, watching her almost everywhere she went, watching as she grew up, changing everyday.  
Why didn t I pay more attention? he groaned.

He knew he had royally screwed up. He lost Bella, and the chances of her return were slim to none.  
Why did her parents have to move her? Why couldn t they just stay and try to have a somewhat happy life? Things would have gotten better over time, he knew they would. His life was about to drag on for what would seem like forever,  
which it would be, and he would live it in misery.

He had lost the only person he truly wanted and needed, and he wouldn t get her back.

* * *

Thats the end of this chapter ill update real soon after i get maybe some reveiws so i know if i should finish it


	2. Chapter 2

I knew these streets all too well. I had walked them so many times, I couldn t count.  
The strong breeze and cold air nipping at my face, I also knew too well. The sidewalk beneath my feat was cracked and worn. It had been replaced in some areas, and on those slabs of concrete would be someone s name drawn into it, or a hand or shoeprint. Among the sounds of the city, I could here my shoes, lightly padding off the sidewalk. I could hear voices, people having conversations around the area. I could hear cars in the distance. Dogs, barking and howling, probably hoping to get back in, or having seen a shadow, thinking it was someone.

I shoved my hands deeply into my coat pockets, and let out a shaky sigh, seeing my breath.  
Why did it have to be November? It was such a cold month, but then again, less people would be out at night,  
so it was quieter, also considering the fact that it was a Monday.

I hadn t been here in six years, and almost nothing had changed. Some buildings were renamed, some houses fixed up, new homes built,  
new faces walking around. It was still the same old Chicago to me either way, but I wasn t the same Elizabeth that I was when I left here.

The bullying continued. My peers had still picked on me,  
even though they knew nothing about me. This time, I reacted to the comments and beatings differently.  
I ran home and cried everyday. I became weak, I couldn t take it anymore.  
They knew nothing about me, I had been there for almost no time, yet they grew such a retched hatred for me so quickly.

That hurt more than anything. These people didn t bother to learn anything more about me other than my name.  
Even the teachers wouldn t ask me to do public speaking, or answer questions in class. Everyone disliked me.

Even my parents grew tired of me. They were sick of the fact that no one liked me,  
that I wasn t good enough to be friends with anyone, that I couldn t be normal.  
They slowly isolated me from their lives, started telling me off for my lack of friends and a social life.  
I was so miserable.

What made me feel completely worthless and absolutely loathed though,  
was when some seniors thought it would be funny to try and run me over while they were drunk.  
They didn t even apologize when they were sober again. The only people who cared were the nurses and doctors at the hospital who treated my broken left arm. I felt pathetic and unworthy of living. I even tried to kill myself.  
Sadly for everyone else and myself, it didn t work.

I ran away a few nights ago. Yes I know, how can a twenty year old run away? Well my parents thought it was improper for a young woman, such as myself,  
to move out on my own, by myself without any plans. I knew they wanted me out of there so badly,  
they just didn t want me to fail at finding a place to live and go crawling back to them. They were most likely overjoyed that I had run away. I didn t leave a note or anything, I just packed all my most important possessions and left.

Now, I m back here in Chicago, staying at a hotel. I don t have a job or anything to pay for a place to live,  
but I do have years worth of money saved up that I plan to use as soon as I can get my hands on it, which should be soon,  
I just need to go to a bank.

After a few minutes, I realized how tired I was. I felt the need to sit down terribly.  
My feet were starting to hurt from walking for so long. I looked around to see where I was. I was only a few blocks away from the hotel.

I sharp pain shot through my stomach, and I doubled over, holding onto it. I released a heavy breath, then took a large one in. I looked to my left, all there was, was an alley. It was my only option. So I walked a few feet into the alley, then sat on the ground, my back against the wall. I kept inhaling deeply,  
and exhaling. I began to think of reasons as to why my stomach would hurt so much. I started to use my fingers to count.  
Thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth ugh shit.

Of course I just had to get cramps now, several blocks away from my warm,  
cozy, hotel room bed. I mentally began cursing my ovaries and their bad timing. Slowly and carefully, I tried standing myself up. Thankfully, I managed to do so without causing myself more pain. I started to wonder how long it would take to walk to the hotel, and if they would get worse while I walked.

Out of the corner of my eye, a dark figure moved.  
I shot my head in the direction of the figure, but nothing was there. My breathing picked up along with my heartbeat. When I turned my head to stare at the wall in front of me, I saw movement again. Once I again I looked in that direction, and yet again I saw nothing. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that it was my tired eyes playing tricks on me.

I opened my eyes and let out a scream of terror. Standing mere feet in front of me was a man in a black suit,  
presumably from the 30s, he wore a gray tie with black diagonal stripes. His outfit was accompanied by a white bowler hat.  
The man hair dark hair and caramel eyes. His skin was ghostly pale. He stood a few inches taller than me, so I barely had to look up at him.  
What s a lovely young lady such as yourself, doing out here in the middle of the night in a dark alley? he asked suavely, a smirk playing across his lips.  
I I w wasn t feeling w well I couldn t bring myself to form a coherent sentence. His eyes were mesmerizing, but I also knew that meant trouble.  
Aw, that s just too bad. Well, you wouldn t want to be caught out here all alone. Some scary, perverted, dangerous man might come upon you. I I clenched my fist. My scar was starting to hurt, but it hadn t done that in years, not since I last saw that mysterious man. But something was different this time. It wasn t burning as usual.  
There was a.. a throbbing pain in it. It really hurt.

The man noticed my clench fist, and looked at it skeptically.  
Why are you doing that with your hand? he asked.  
I wasn t really sure if I should tell him or not. Oh well, it s looks like I m going to die anyways, It hurts. Does it? I nodded meekly.  
Let me see your hand.

I raised it timidly, then he took it in his grasp. He examined it for a minute, searching my palm and the back of my hand, and then he smirked.  
Well, well, well. It seems as though someone has left their mark on you. Such a pity,  
we could have had so much fun. Such a pity indeed. Brendon? Are you bothering this poor girl?

I turned my attention to see a tall, dark man with tattooed skin and black curls.  
His attire was different from the man who was currently holding my wrist. He was wearing a baggy dark shirt, jeans that were too big for him, his eyes had dark circles under them. In a way he looked hungry.  
Oh Travis, I was just having a little fun. Cut your old pal some slack. Why hello there, and what might I ask, is this pretty lady s name? the dark man asked.  
He seemed to be just as suave as the other, only with.. a tougher edge to him.  
B-Bella. Bella? Well that s a pretty name, especially for a girl who smells so delicious. Did he just delicious? Oh boy.  
Um, look I really don t feel well, could you just let me- Oh no darling, please don t expect us to let you leave. We love sharing,  
you don t have to worry about one of us going hungry. The other said.  
H hungry? My, she does stutter quite a lot, doesn t she? She does. Brendon, I at least think we should introduce ourselves before we start in on her. My name is Travis McCoy.  
I m the leader of the gangster vampires. And I am Brendon Urie, a Dandie. Now Travis, it seems as though we have a problem. Which would be.. ? Travis urged.  
She is marked. Marked? Why didn t you say so? That means she s off limits. Mm, yes but that doesn t mean we can t have our fun with her. He licked his lips.  
My eyes grew wide, and I was even more frightened. I couldn t believe this was actually happening. This could not be happening.  
I m afraid it does. Brendon sighed, Alright. Until we meet again. He bowed.  
See you next time, Princess. Travis winked, then they both disappeared.

I stood there, wide-eyed, disbelieving and confused. There was no possible way that it was my imagination,  
and I was not possible of creating a dream like that. As soon as I snapped back into reality,  
my legs instantly went into running mode, and the whole time I ran back to the hotel, the only thought that was in my mind was; Lock the door.

I didn t sleep at all during the night. Their faces haunted me,  
fear and paranoia lying on either side of me all night, both nagging at me. What did they mean when they said marked?  
And what did they mean by Until next time ? I wasn t going to run into them again, was I? I didn t want to.  
I was already terrified enough as it is.

I pulled the blankets up over my head and closed my eyes. All I could see was their faces, their hungry eyes. But.. they were vampires. How is that possible? I am a bit of a vampire fanatic thus being called vampire girl , but I never thought they were real. I always found them so interesting,  
but being cornered by them.. it was petrifying.

But I would be safe during the day, right? They can t live in the sunlight,  
they sleep all day. Maybe it would just be best if I slept during the rest of today, seeing as I didn t get any sleep the night before, and I could stay up during the night to make sure they didn t kidnap me or anything along those lines.

I slept for only several hours during the day. It was the middle of the night and I was exhausted.  
I wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but I couldn t. They might sneak up on me. I walked over to the window and opened it. I stuck my head out and breathed in the fresh air. I hadn t left my room in the past twenty four hours,  
so it was nice to take it in.

Then I heard something. I listened closer, realizing it was a scream.  
It wasn t one of those kids fooling around screams, this was a real horrified scream.  
I had a feeling I knew what the cause was. I grabbed my jacket, then ran out of the room. I took the elevator, tapping my foot impatiently, I needed to get outside as fast as possible.

When the doors opened up, I booted it outside. I looked around, and ran in the direction where I remembered hearing the scream come from. I ran down the sidewalk, not caring if anyone saw me and started to think things, someone was in danger.

I heard the screaming again and ran faster. I finally came to a stop in front of an alley.  
In it lay a body. I advanced toward it, only to see that is was a young woman, not much older than me, lying in a pool of her own blood, two holes in her neck. Her blood dripped into every little crack and space between the pavement. Her eyes were staring up at the sky, fear still present in them, although she was dead.  
I felt somewhat nauseous looking at the scene, thinking about how that could have been me last night.  
You came back sooner than planned. I span around to see Brendon standing at the head of the alleyway.  
What s the matter dear? You don t seem happy to see me. his lips turned up at the corners, causing him to smirk.  
I don t mean to be rude, but I was somewhat hoping not to see you. He gasped and put a hand over his heart. Or.. where it used to be. Or is. I don t know.  
Words like that hurt Elizabeth, they truly do. Why are you still here? What do you want from me? I wish I could claim you as my own, but unfortunately it seems as though you are already claimed. Claimed? What are you talking about? What s going on? You ask too many questions, and with your lack of knowledge, you might not like all of the answers. I just want to know what s happening and why I m even talking to you right now. All your questions shall be answered, but you must answer a few of my own first. I could tell this guy was going to give me a lot of trouble.  
Go right ahead. Who marked you? If I knew what that meant, I just might be able to tell you. How did you get that scar on your right palm? he asked, sounding a bit irritated.  
Oh. Well, about seventeen years ago, when I was a little girl, I was playing in my backyard one night. I found this ring in the grass, and it burned my hand. Then this random guy came along and told me it was his.  
I gave it back to him, and he took out a pocket knife and cut my hand, then placed the ring back in it, causing the burning again. Then he asked my name and left. I ve seen him once since, and that was six years ago, the day before I moved to Ohio. Every now and again, my hand would randomly burn, but it hasn t in six years, until last night. But it felt.. different last night. He looked a little dumbfounded for a minute, then regained his previous

That s interesting story. Do you remember what this man looked like? He wore clothes kind of like you. And he had dark hair. And.. strange green eyes. Hm, really? Yeah. Things are starting to piece together What things? You ll find out soon enough.

He snapped his fingers, and the next thing I knew my head hurt, then everything faded to black. 


	3. Chapter 3

I shifted. My neck was aching and I had no clue why. I opened my eyes to find I was in some kind of..  
dungeon. I scanned the room. The floors and walls were made of stone bricks, possibly hundreds of years old.  
There was grime and dirt all over them. There were no windows, just candles on the walls. The straight, thick, vertical black bars in front of me were so boring. There was nothing special about them, just the rust and paint peeling off, but that wasn t very interesting.  
I moved again, realizing my back hurt as well. I looked up to see that my hands were above my head,  
locked up in manacles. Great. I must have slept, or, been unconscious against the wall. Painful. I leaned against the wall then winced away. It was cold. Painfully cold.

I heard footsteps echoing through the staircase, signaling that someone was coming down.  
I braced myself for whoever it was and whatever it was that I was in for. I saw the shadow, slowly descending, then I saw the face.

Brendon walked down the rest of the stairs, then over to my prison cell, I guess you could call it.  
So you re awake? he asked.  
Yeah.. Where am I? Huh, well for once we don t have a bitchy one. And, you ll find out soon enough. I groaned, I don t care where I am, as long as you unlock these manacles. They re extremely uncomfortable. Oh don t worry, you re about to come out of this old dungeon. Really? So you mean you re just going to let me free, I ll never breathe a word about this, and we can go on,  
pretending this never happened? He chuckled a low, deep laugh that made me uncomfortable, Not exactly.

He opened the door, then walked in, not once tripping on the ragged stones, and unlocked my manacles.  
I immediately began rubbing my sore wrists.  
Come on. He gestured for me to follow him.

I did as I was told, got to my feet and followed Brendon up the stairs.  
The stairway looked exactly like the dungeon. We climbed up the stairs until we reached a door.  
Brendon turned around, probably to make sure I was still there, then grinned, somewhat menacingly, revealing his fangs.  
He opened the door and we entered a hallway. It was Victorian style, the carpets were a deep scarlet, the walls were made of wood, mahogany I think. From what I could see, it was a beautiful place.

We walked down the hallways until we reached the end. Two large doors were placed in front of us,  
I assumed both leading to the same place. He pushed the doors open, and waltzed right in as if he didn t have a care in the world.

The room had the same walls and carpets as the hallway,  
only it was much bigger and the floor was made of stone, just as the dungeon floor had been.  
At the other end of the room, there was a man, sitting in a large, red, black and mahogany thrown.  
He had brown hair down to his shoulders, defined pale cheekbones. His eyes were a chocolate color.  
His outfit much resembled Brendon s, only it was somehow nicer. He wore white gloves on his hands and a dark bowler hat. I had to admit, he was gorgeous.

To his left, there was a very familiar looking man. He had dark raven hair, the same length as the other man s.  
He wore a suit like it, only beige. He looked broader than the skinny man in the thrown, and most of the men in the room.  
He stood up straight and didn t move an inch. It was as if he were a statue. I simply could not place who he was though. Now that I thought about it.. he was incredibly handsome. The man next to him may have been good looking, but.. for some reason he couldn t compare.

Brendon stopped me in the middle of the room, two bulky men appearing at both my sides,  
and walked over to the man in the thrown, standing to his right.  
Master carslie, this is the girl I was telling you about. He said.  
The girl you locked up in the dungeon? the man in the thrown said. His voice was simply angelic.  
Yes. Brendon, the poor girl looks as if she hasn t slept in days. Did you give her a bed? No sir, she fell asleep against the wall. That mustn t have been pleasant. Probably not. He smirked.  
Now lets get to the point, why did you bring her here? The other night I was hunting, and I came across this lovely slab of meat. His eyes locked on me.  
And? She s marked. Really? Yes. By who? She doesn t know. You, come here. He gestured to me.  
I swallowed all of the saliva that was left in my dry mouth, and took a few steps forward.  
Do you remember who marked you? he asked.  
Well, I I m not completely clear on what that means, but I can remember who gave me my scar for the most part. At the mention of my scar it started to burn insanely.  
I felt so much pressure and I was so nervous from everyone s eyes on me. Especially the extremely handsome man.  
Give me the best description. O okay. Well he was tall. He had hair that was as dark as knight. His eyes were green, and he dressed like you. Don t forget to tell him about the ring. Brendon cut in.  
Ring? the man cocked an eyebrow.  
Oh right. When I was three, the man showed up in my backyard and I had found his ring. I told him it burned my hand,  
so I gave it back. He took out a knife, cut my right hand and placed the ring in my palm, and it burned even more.  
Then he left. Really? I nodded.  
Did the ring say anything on it? Yes. Do you remember what it said? I thought for a moment. I remembered perfectly what it said.  
If your heart could beat once, it can beat again for love. Everyone in the room fell silent. I looked up at Brendon and the other two men s faces.

Brendon had a look of shock cross his features. The man in the thrown looked even more shocked.  
And the gorgeous man to his right, looked absolutely dismayed. They were all wide-eyed and just.. shocked.  
What s your name? he asked after a few minutes of utter silence, other than my breathing.  
Bella. From the corner of my eye, I saw the gorgeous man s jaw drop. The man in the thrown looked so.. surprised.  
Bella? I looked over at the raven-haired man. His beautiful features looked so confused.  
I don t mean to be rude or go off topic but.. you look so familiar. Bella.. I m the man that marked you. Boys, take her down to the dungeon. Brendon demanded.  
I felt the burly men grab both of my arms roughly.  
Hey! Let go! Get off of me you creeps! Go. Now. And no chains this time, we don t want Miss Bella in any pain. Stop it! Put me down! I struggled against both of them as my feet were no longer touching solid ground.  
Nothing happened.  
Hm, I guess I was wrong. It looks as though she s putting up a fight after all.

I turned my gaze to the man who I now knew as the man who marked me. The look in his eyes was shocked about Brendon s act,  
and very disapproving of it. I gave up struggling and let them drag me out of the room, the doors closing behind us. The whole way down the stairs, I lifted my legs up so I wouldn t hit my feet off the stone and end up hurting them. Fortunately for me, these guys were really strong, so that made it a lot easier on all of us.

They threw me in the cell and locked the door. I was very thankful I didn t have to wear the stupid manacles.  
Once the bulky vampires were out of sight, I stood up and began to pace around the cell. Six years and I could barely recognize him, and he didn t recognize me. I really couldn t blame him, but I had no excuse. He hadn t changed, just..  
become more attractive. Well, I guess when you re three, your hormones aren t exactly going crazy, and when you re a fourteen year old girl getting beat up, you tend to miss an impeccably handsome man not far away watching.

I groaned and slammed my fists against the wall. I hated this cell so much. Why couldn t they put me somewhere a little.  
. nicer? This place seemed spacious enough. It was also beautiful. I loved old fashion stuff, such as Victorian styled homes.

But I had much more important things to think about. Like that man..  
I wish I knew his name. I needed to talk to him so badly, now that I could actually form a coherent and intelligent sentence, and wasn t being beaten or humiliated. I had so many questions for him, I didn t care if I d like the answers or not.

A loud, abrupt crash came from the top of the staircase, startling me and causing me to make a small scream. I heard footsteps, quickly scrambling down the staircase.  
Then I saw them.

*Third Person Point Of View*  
Edward was a mess of emotions, he didn t know what to feel. He was overjoyed that after six years, Bella was back.  
He was somewhat angry at the fact that Brendon had found her, and not him. He was shocked that she was even back.  
But most of all, he was outraged at Brendon for throwing her back in that horrid dungeon.  
Brendon! What the hell was that for? Edward yelled.  
What? Do you mean almost sucking your girlfriend dry, or sending her down to the dungeon? Both. Well sorry. But we need to discuss this without her here first. It s true. Their heads snapped in Carslie s direction.  
She can t be here. She has no clue what being marked is, she has no clue where she is, and she barely even knows you, Edward. I think all she knows is that you were the one to cut her,  
and that Brendon s name is Brendon. Thanks for clearing that up. Brendon rolled his eyes.  
Shut up, Brendon. Carslie snapped, but in a manner where he did not at all show anger or shift his gaze.  
Sorry. Well we ll have to explain it to her eventually. Edward sighed.  
You will. We only play small roles in this. It s yours and Bella s business. We re just your friends. Well, I m your friend. Brendon is the man who almost killed your girlfriend. Accidentally, mind you! he cut in.  
I know I have to tell her on my own. But I don t know how to tell her that

A loud crash erupted from the doors, and there stood four men.  
Andy, Joe. Stay here and take care of them. Patrick and I will check the dungeons. A short, slightly darker skinned man commanded.

His hair was black, his eyes brown. His fangs peeked out from beneath his top lip in a snarl. He took off towards the stairs with a shorter, blond chubby man with glasses. The man holding daggers in each hand was a pale, brown haired man with glasses and tattoos snaking up his arms. The man that stood next to him was a bit taller than the rest, with short dark curly hair and he held a net gun in his arms.  
Hunters. Carslie growled.

And so it all began.

I pried my eyes open, only to find myself in yet another place I didn t recognize.  
I sat up slowly and scanned the room. The walls of the room were bland cement, no colors painted on them.  
In fact, there was nothing on them. The only thing in here was a door and the bed I was lying on. It really wasn t the comfiest bed, but hey it was the first bed I had been on for.. well since I got kidnapped.

I stood myself up, only to have the room sway. I grabbed a hold of the bed post to steady myself.  
Note to self, don t get knocked unconscious then attempt standing up within the first two minutes.  
When the room stopped spinning, I walked over to the only exit; the door.

I entered an unfamiliar hallway. Everything seems to be unfamiliar to me these days. Maybe it s because I keep getting kidnapped. I walked down the hallway, then I stopped dead in my tracks, hearing voices.  
I listened closely, and I followed the direction they were coming from. I peeked from around the corner to see a decent looking living area. There was a beat up couch, a TV set right in front of it, an old wooden coffee table with a rug under it, and the walls were painted a dark color. Unnoticed to me, were two boys sitting on the couch. Okay not boys,  
more like young men.  
Pete, what are we going to do with her? a chubby man with blondish hair asked.  
I don t know Patrick, all that I know is that the Dandies had her locked up and that s never good. The black haired one answered.  
Never good? Why not?  
Pete, why would they kill her? Wouldn t they have done it already? Kill me? Kill me?  
I don t know! Maybe they re torturing her or something. I don t see why they d torture a poor, pretty girl like that. Pretty?  
Well then maybe they just wanted to play with their food before they ate her. And I don t think she s all that great. Excuse me? Asshole.

The sound of me clearing my throat was quiet, yet loud enough to startle both men on the couch.  
Oh you re awake. The chubby man pointed out.  
Um, where am I? You re in a warehouse. The black haired one spoke.  
Why? Because the Dandies were holding you captive. Oh.. ? The group of vampires you were last with had you locked up in the dungeon? Oh.. right. Um, miss Just call me Bella. Bella, could I ask you some questions? the blond man asked, pushing up his glasses that had fallen to the bridge of his nose.  
Okay, sure. Why did the Dandies have you captive? I wasn t really sure how to answer this one, I don t really know. It was kind of true.  
Do they know where you live? They shouldn t, I have been staying at a hotel for the past few nights. Well I was until Brendon kidnapped me. You know their names? he raised one eyebrow in curiosity.  
Brendon and Travis . Travie s a part of the gangsters though.. he mumbled to himself, Well do you want to go get your stuff and bring it back here? Just in case? Um, I I guess so. But.. why am I staying here? I barely know you guys. Because, cut in the black haired one, We saved you and we re going to protect you until we find out what they want with you. Alright. So it s just going to be the three of us? I hope you guys aren t gay because well I don t want to We re not gay. And it won t be just the three of us. He said sounding very irritated. My bad.  
Oh sorry. So if it s not just us.. who else is there? Andy and Joe. I m sorry, we didn t properly introduce ourselves. I m Patrick, the blond man gestured towards himself, And this is Pete. Our very own vampire. He gestured towards the other man.  
You re a vampire? Yeah. So? I don t know. You won t try to drink my blood too, will you? Not if you don t piss me off. Pete. Patrick said in a firm tone, Sorry. I make a blend for Pete to satisfy his blood lust and take care of his temper. I guess he needs some more. Oh. Cool. Cool? Pete looked at me incredulously.  
Yeah, cool. I um.. I m kind of a vampire dork. I ve always liked them and they ve always fascinated me. Well maybe if Pete ever goes too far, we ll let you dissect him. Patrick chuckled.  
Oh no, I could never do that. I wouldn t be able to hold my food. Blood and guts are not my thing. Really? Well then don t ever go hunting with us. Pete said.  
Why not? You think I ll throw up? I asked, insulted.  
Yeah. He shrugged, That s what you basically just said. You know what? I can handle your stupid little vampires feedings. I meant things such as surgery. I m not one of those people who will faint at the sight of blood. We ll see about that. He smirked then left the room. Asshole.


End file.
